Explosive.



- UNITED STATES PATENT onnron.

AUGUST E. NIENSTADI, OF NEWARK, NEW J ERSJY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE HALF TO GEORGE H. ROSENBLATT, NEW YORK, N. Y

EXPLOSIVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 15, 1907.

Application filed January 30. 1906- Serial No. 298,645.

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, At: aUsT E. NIENSTADT, a: citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Imp ovements in Explosives, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to a novel explosive composition to be used in the arts and trades as a blasting-powder and a charge for cartrid es for blasting or firearms.

Anot er application of the explosi e composition is its use as a flashlight on Water during the night in order to determine tie exact location of distantobjects-for instance, vessels, and particularly war vessels.

The explosive composition exists in form owder. It consists of two active agents which when well mixed are inactive under normal conditions. When water or any aqueous solution is applied to the two active agents, they-are decorposed in contact with.

the water, and an explosion results in closed places, or when. the powder is thrown on Water'in shells or firearms or otherwise flames issue from the mixture and illuminate the neighborhood. In this way the location of a man-of-war may be determined at night. The two active agents are metallic sodium or otassium and calcium carbid. The metallic sodium decomposes water and liberates hydrogen. Likewise the calcium carbid is decomposed bywater and produces per molecule one molecule of acetylene gas, which under certain conditions resolves itself into its component elements, carbon and hydrogen. Acetylene is an endothermic combination of two elements, and the heat absorbed in its production or its equivalent in other form of energy exists therein in latent form and reasserts itself upon provocation. In addition thereto some air is always present and when the hydrogen is ignited during the explosion. the atomic carbon resulting from the decomposition of the acetylene gas is partly or wholly transformed into carbon mono or di oxid. These gases also increase the volume of the expansible gaseous mixture during the explosion. I

If it is desired to have a less violent explosion, any other metal may be used in the compound, provided same is capable of decomposmgwater under ordinary cond1t1ons for instance, calcium.

The alkali metals, particularly sodium and potassium, possess the property of decomposing water under ordinary conditions to the highest known degree. Their affinity to oxygen is so great that these two metals oxidize immediately in the open air. The metals are soft and may be cut with an ordinary knile. When a small disk of the metal is cut off, the new surface of the disk remains shiny for a moment only. It is oxidized immediately. Therefore these metals are kept constantly under Pennsylvania oils in glass bottles during transportation .-.nd storagel These metals are so soft that they cannot be powdered in any manner or form like other metals.

'I have discovered that: the alkali metals may be safely reduced to powder in combination With calcium carbid The latter is first preferably reduced to a co arse powder. Then the quantity of metal is mixed with the care bid so that the metal is covered by same. Now the mixture may be powdered in amortar or in any other suitable machinery generally used inche'mical works for reducing substances. The percentage of alkali metal in its native state in the composition varies from two per cent. to twenty-five per cent, while calcium carbid is used from seventyfive to about ninety-eight per cent. It is of course understood thatv any other percentage may be selected for specific uses. Metallid sodium may also be cautiously heated to the fusion-point. Then the calcium carbid is introduced and both stirred together. cool, this mixture is then ground. In this instance the metal is found in the composi tion in a more finely dividedstateQ The powder thus obtained may be stored in any kind of receptacle which is adapted to keep out moisture. It may be kept in glass bottles With ordinary rubber stoppers paraflined at.

the top, notwithstanding the fact that the otherwise dangerous metallic sodium is con- Ioo' tained therein.

Thelresulting expansible explosive gases produced during the explosion consist of two kinds of explosive mixtures' The hy- When CROSS REFERENCE SEARCH ROOM drogen, oxygen, and air is one,and the acety- .lene,air,- and hydrogenthe-second. Furthermore, acetylene gas in a confined space be-' fore the explosion occurs will at a certain -moment be compressed, andin a condensed 5- state this gas is very unstable, and therefore zolPa'tent- 1. The process of producing an explosive composition consisting in reducing calcium catl'ndto small particles, admixing it with a metal which is capable of decom osing water '25 under ordinary conditions enve oping thereby the metal by the coarse powder of calcium ca'rbid, and reducing the mixture to powder.

2. The process of producing an explosive composition consisting inreducing calcium carbid to small particles, admixing therewith metallic sodium enveloping thereby the metallic sodium by the coarse powder of calcium carbid, and reducing the m xture to powder. 3. As anew article of manufacture a novel composition of matter composed of calcium carbid, and a metal in its uncombined state which is capable of decomposing water under ordinary conditions and existing in form of :powder.

4. As anew article of manufacture a novel composition of matter composed of calcium carbid and metallic sodium and existing in form of powder.

Signed at New York, N. Y. this 27th day of January, 1906.

AUGUST E. NIENS TADT.

Witnesses:

LUDWIG Ix. Bonn, GEORGE H. ROSENBLATT. 

